The implantation of cardiac valvular prostheses, mechanical as well as biological type ones, requires a very perfected technique and a specific procedure so that aside from the main surgeon two assistant heart surgeons are needed in order to be able to adequately implant the prosthesis.
In the process that is carried out on the patient the main surgeon first proceeds to stitch the patient's valvular cardiac ring and then he passes the needle and suture thread through the Teflon which forms the securing ring of the prosthesis which is going to be implanted.
This prosthesis must be held during the entire process by an assistant surgeon who cannot do anything else. Therefore, one surgeon spends all the time dedicated to this surgical step, since aside from holding the prosthesis in a suitable position he must also place the suture threads in the correct position so that they do not get tangled and bother the main surgeon, hampering the process.
On the other hand, in the processes of implantation of a mitral prosthesis, the matter becomes complicated since two assistants are necessary. One of them must keep the separator of the left auricle in the correct position so that the main surgeon can operate with a good view and a good surgical field upon the mitral valve and all of its surroundings, seeing all of the auricular structures well which is of the utmost importance in this process.
It is unquestionable that the present system which is none other than the one described, entails a series of inconveniences which can be summarized as the following:
1. At least two assistant surgeons are needed, aside from the main surgeon in order to be able to efficiently effect the implantation process.
2. The assistant surgeon handles the prosthesis and this means that there is a potential risk of asepsis of the prosthesis (a fact of the utmost importance, as one can easily assume.) The surgeon may have worked with a ripped glove though it is in a single surgical step.
3. The main surgeon does not have a good panoramic view of the development of the process since his field of vision is hampered by the assistant surgeon's hands, thus he cannot adequately evaluate the orientation or spatial arrangement of the suture threads.
4. The assistant surgeon cannot remain with the prosthesis in a motionless state since he has nowhere to rest his hand and this causes the spatial plane of the prosthesis held by the assistant surgeon and exposed to the main surgeon to vary constantly. The main surgeon is even distracted and losses time and concentration in the development of the process.
5. The assistant surgeon, due to the above reason, cannot do anything else during the process such as aspirate, cut threads, help separate structures for the main surgeon at a specific moment when he were to need it, etc.